Packaging machines have been produced in the past for wrapping individual articles, such as candies. The candies usually pass along a conveyor where a continuous strip of wrapping film is laid on top of the candies and folded transversely around the candies. The peripheral edges of the wrapper can be sealed together under the candies, if desired, and the wrapping film is then transversely sealed between the candies and cut off to produce the individually wrapped candies.
There are several difficulties with the prior art wrapping machines discussed above. One is that the candies are haphazardly placed on the conveyor resulting in breaking or cracking of the candies, and this causes jamming and clean-up problems, not to mention machine down time. Another difficulty is that the candies are not located uniformly on the conveyor, so it is difficult to determine where the transverse wrapper seals should be located between the candies. Another problem is that even if the candies are located uniformly on the conveyor, the candies are allowed to shift or move around while they are being wrapped, so the wrapper seals do not occur exactly where they should. This is particularly problematic for printed wrappers, since the printing must be precisely located on the product.